Lighting Technician Duties & Responsibilities
The role and function of a Lighting Technician includes the following duties and responsibilities:
- Assembling all the lighting and filter equipment needed;
- Ensuring all lighting equipment is in working order and organising any necessary scaffolding and cranes;
- Pre-rigging the lighting and ensuring all cables and wires are safely concealed;
- Loading automated colour change systems;
- Conducting risk assessments for health and safety purposes;
- Establishing lighting requirements;
- Plotting the lighting;
- Liaising with the director and/or other staff to interpret their creative vision into the lighting design;
- Managing the lighting budget and advising on the purchase/hire of suitable equipment;
- Working as part of a large crew, especially on feature films;
- Deciding on the lighting crew numbers and equipment needed and then employing the crew and hiring the equipment;
- Programming and operating lighting consoles;
- Supervising the focusing of lighting at rehearsals;
- Reviewing footage shots with the director;
- Liaising with the floor manager, producer and sound technician throughout the project.
- Visiting and assessing locations for technical purposes;
- Operating and maintaining equipment during the shoot;
- Changing lighting between shots, as necessary;
- De-rigging all equipment at the end of the broadcast or production and ensuring it is safely transported away from the location and/or stored;
- Coordinating the equipment and the technical crew and training other crew members as required;
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Lighting Technician duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Lighting Technician roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.